Early emergence of butterflies and moths in the Isle of Wight during 1995

3 Pages·1995·1.1 MB·English

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NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 25
India at a Danish missionary school. Every year, all Danish missionaries
in India summered there. When you went butterfly collecting after church on
Sunday (having already lost valuable collecting time), you were subject to
m
sudden ambushes from middle-aged gentlemen, clamping a hand your
head and demanding with menaces "Well Torben, how is your relationship
with the Lord this morning?". The experience put me offreligion, especially
ofproselytising variety, for life.
But, like it or not, you really have to hand it to the Jehovah's Witnesses.
The issue ofAwake that I saw had a lot of genuine information - such as an
accurate resume of Balkan history since Grand Duke Ferdinand was
murdered in Sarajevo. Their 12,900,000 copies end up in parts which no
other printed matter reaches. And the gracious apology from my friend on
the little matter ofbutterfly numbers will remain in my memory.- Torben B.
Larsen, 358 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PL.
Early migrant moths in Scotland in 1995
Agrotis ipsilon (Hufn.), the Dark Sword Grass moth, is usually recorded as a
casual immigrant in Scotland in mid-late summer but one came to light near
Kincraig, Strathspey on 6th April 1995; three were present in an m.v. light
trap at Sands of Forvie National Nature Reserve, Aberdeenshire on 13th
April 1995 and four were present in a similar trap at Oldmeldrum,
Aberdeenshire on 14th April 1995. No other known migrant moth species
were recorded on the same occasions but some of the first Sand Martins and
Wheatears were seen in Aberdeenshire on the 13th and 14th April after a
period ofunseasonally warm weather and light winds.
Skinner (1984. Colour Identification Guide to Moths ofthe British Isles.
Viking, Middlesex) suggests that the species may occasionally survive mild
winters in Britain. However, the 1994/95 winter has been ofaverage severity
in Scotland and Aberdeenshire is an unlikely location for overwintering
migrants! It therefore seems probable that these specimens were primary
migrants.- M.R. Young, Culterty Field Station, University of Aberdeen,
Newburgh, Ellon, Aberdeenshire AB41 OAA.
[Large numbers ofA. ipsilon were also recorded at light and on sugar at Loch Rannoch
on 8thApril 1995, whenthehills were still covered with snow. -A.S.]
Early emergence of butterflies and moths in the Isle of Wight du»'ing
1995
The winter of 1994-5 was one ofthe wettest though warmest in recent years.
The first half of April was influenced by a large area of high pressure which
resulted in warm sunny days causing an early emergence of butterflies and
moths in this very forward spring.
The most exceptional record of the winter was that of Selenia dentaria
(Fabr.) which was taken at Binstead by Brian Wame on 14th January. An
252 ENTOMOLOGIST'S RECORD, VOL. 107 15.ix.1995
example of Vanessea atalanta (L.) was seen at Firestone Copse, Havenstreet
on 2nd February which supports further evidence that this species hibernates
in this country during mild winters. A specimen of Cynthia cardid (L.) was
observed at Luccombe Down on 4th February. Two of our commoner
migrant moths also appeared during this month namely Agrotis ipsilon
(Hufn.) on 6th February at Freshwater and Nomophila noctuella (D.&S.) on
22nd February at Binstead.
The warm and sunny April caused the exceptionally early emergence of
Pieris napi (L.) at Whitefield Woods, Ryde and Callophrys ruhi (L.) in the
chalk-pit at Compton Down on 12th April, and Pyrgus malvae (L.) on 14th
April also at the latter locality. Amongst the moths the most outstanding
were Acronicta psi (L.) at Ryde, Aethalura punctulata (D.&S.) at Whitefield
Woods, Aspitates ochrearia (Rossi.) on Compton Down on 14th April;
Spilosoma luteum (Hufn.) at Binstead on 25th April and Xanthorhoe
spadiceaha (D.&S.) at Cranmore on 27th April.
I now give below a list of early emergents taken on the island during
1995.
Date
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 253
May
1st Phalera bucephala (L.) Freshwater
3rd Coenonymphapamphilus (L.) Compton Down
6th Noctuapronuba (L.) Cranmore
8th Hadenaperplexa (D.&S.) Freshwater
I should like to mention the following observation that I witnessed on
Compton Down on 14th April. This was a pair oi Phragmatobiafuliginosa
(L.) in copula settled on the grass accompanied by five other males crawling
over the unfortunate couple. This is the first time that I have seen this species
assemble in this way.
Finally I should like to record two very early sightings of the Large Red
Damselfly {Pyrrhosoma nymphula). Andy Butler saw two at Alverstone on
9th April and my mother noticed one in the garden at Freshwater on the
following day.- S.A. Knill-Jones, Roundstone, 2 School Green Road,
Freshwater, Isle ofWight.
Drunken goat moth larvae
I have also had occasion to resuscitate "drunken" goat moth larvae, {vide
Clerck, J., 1995. Drunken goats. Entomologist's Rec. J. Var. 106: 82). Mine
were fed on wholemeal bread and apple, in the recommended fashion, but
the container was rather tall and narrow and, on one occasion, the apple
became somewhat decayed. Fumes of some sort overcame my larvae and
one morning I found them insensible. They were apparently completely
lifeless but not flaccid or misshapen, as may happen with disease. Suspecting
that they were merely intoxicated, I placed them on some absorbent paper
and gently massaged them, so as to cause air to be forced in and out of the
spiracles. After about 30 minutes they began to wriggle slightly and after a
further 30 minutes had made a full recovery. Since then they have again fed
voraciously and are now (April 1995) just becoming active after the winter. I
wondered how much the effect was due to alcohol fumes, of which the
container certainly smelt, and how much to CO^ anaesthesia.- M.R. Young,
Culterty Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Newburgh, Ellon,
Aberdeenshire AB41 OAA.
[Note: All three moths duly emergedinJuly 1995 -M.Y.]
Stigmella continuella (Stt.) (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) in Scotland
In September 1988, Mark Young introduced Stigmella continuella (Stainton,
1856) to the Scottish list when he discovered mines of this species on the
Glenfarrar NNR (VC96) and Ariundle NNR (VC97) (Agassiz, D. (1990)
Ent. Rec. J. Var. 102: 131). Last year this species turned up in two further,
widely separated localities. On 10.ix.l994 the author found two vacated
leafmines of this species on Birch at Camghouran (Grid Ref. NN5455),
Rannoch, Perthshire (VC88). On 21.ix.94 a survey for a Forestry